To wish Tess had just gone with Angel

[WallaceinAnderland]

This is probably a popular and well discussed opinion but it just makes me so sad every time. She didn't have to kill Alec, she was legally married to Angel. She could have just walked away.

As an aside, has anyone ever listened to the audio book narrated by Peter Firth, who played Angel ,"Bastard" Clare in the Polanski film? He does a good job of it, though it is slightly odd hearing him do all the female dialogue.

God I hated this book. So depressing.

Self destruction mode. Only way to cope was knowing he was dead, even if she would be too.

Definitely a forerunner for Eastenders style plot lines.

I think she thought she could never be free of Alec while he was still alive.

How is Jude bleaker?
This question implies you haven't read it. Let's just say Tess isn't the only novel with death in.

Keeping it current are we mumsnet?

Maybe people thought was love island? Cracking twist that, on love island, murder and a hanging.

Is this a TV series 🤔

But the writing is beautiful. Especially the way Hardy incorporated the natural world into the novel and particularly into the descriptions of Tess and Angel's developing romance at Talbothays.

I love the book, as you can probably tell.

I have read Jude. It's not about the deaths; I'm pondering on the reasons for them. There was no need for Tess to die. She had a legal husband to protect her. And she claimed to still love him and to want to be with him. So she could have just gone with him and avoided the gallows.

No. It is a novel. Although a TV version was made in 2008ish in the UK and there was a film version made by Polanski back in the very late 70s.

Is this a joke?

Alec abused her from when she was a young girl. When Angel turned up, Alec taunted her about him, she finally snapped and killed him.

Well Tess and Fantine are both innocent women destroyed by society and its values at the time

"Done because we are too menny" sic

Still heartbreaking and it's 30 years since I read Jude the Obscure.

Responding to:
How is Jude bleaker?
This question implies you haven't read it. Let's just say Tess isn't the only novel with death in. /end

Tess was just worn down and felt trapped by it all. I loved her moonlit flits and hated Angel.

What about the scene setting for Mayor of Casterbridge? How Hardy did like to torture his characters.

The TV version of Tess with Gemma Arterton is sublime.

it’s on iplayer so I highly recommend you all watch it

The mistake Tess made was in confessing her past to the awful Angel.

I do understand how worn down she was. As an absolute last resort she sold herself for the good of her family and she was wretched.

But then, the man that she claims to still love turned up. And he wanted to take her away from the horrible situation she was in. She had no money of her own. No property or rights to anything. But she was married and, legally, that gave her rights.

She could have walked away from Alec. She did not need to kill him. She could have just left him and gone with her legal husband.

Me, too. Thomas Hardy is my favourite novelist.

'Tis a novel.

They are ancient, but I do like the Wessex Tales on iplayer.

I always assumed she was the end of her tether by then and by the time Angel came back it was too little too late. I also don’t know why Hardy chose the name Angel, I’ve never heard of a bloke called that before and I don’t think it worked.

Hardy was a superb writer. I love pretty much all of his work. The christening/death of baby Sorrow is so moving. Tess has already accepted she will be damned but she doesn't want that for her child. Leaving Alec to go to Angel may have spared her death but it wouldn't have spared her damnation so she had nothing to lose.

I didn’t see this as I try to avoid movies with sad endings etc as I feel life is real enough for me (sad). I need a different ending when I’m watching a movie. I guess it’s all about what you are in the mood for. Sometimes it’s good to cry. If you want a good pick me up, I watched Dr Thorne this evening.What a gem! Why haven’t I heard of that before? I loved it.

I studied this for GCSE back in the day, put me off Hardy for life.